Baroque Suite

I) Historical Context – c.1600-1750

Barocco- It. for a small, beautifully imperfect pearl, a gem

A) People used organized music in court as an aristocratic cultural expression. The dance was also a part of this culture of entertainment.

B) Parallel development in the various cultures of countries: Germany, England, France, Italy, Nordic countries.

C) Based on dance forms because they were familiar rhythms and were easily developed.

D) Suite became the most popular idiom for composers to show their abilities. Bach, Händel, Couperin, Rameau all composed suites in profundity.

Definition of Suite -

An ordered set of instrumental pieces meant to be performed at a single sitting; in the Baroque Period, an instrumental genre consisting of several movements in the same key, some or all of them based on the forms and styles of dance music (Partita, Ouverture, Overture, Ordre, Sonata de Camera). See Grove

II) Characteristics:

A) Form

1) binary form - I-V, V-I, in major or in minor,

i-vi, vi-i – harmonic format, i.e. modulating

2) uses repeats - ||: A :|| ||: B :||

- repeats are not always taken by modern interpreters

3) sometimes movements appear with a “through-composed” feeling, esp. in Préludes of Bach in solo partitas

B) Basic movements:

1) Allemande - German stately dance in 4/4

Eg.s - Bach violin partita #1 & double, French Suite #2 c-

2) Courante - fast, running dance in three, simple or compound. Eg.s - Bach violin partita #1 & double - Corrente, French Suite #2 c-

3) Sarabande - slow and majestic in either 3 (usual) or rarely in 4. Bach violin partita #1 & double, French Suite #2 c-, cello suites

4) Gigue 6/8 fast dance. French Suites - Suite #5 Gmaj

B) Each country had its own preferences for the particular forms

1)A-C-S-G - typical format

2 Prelude - A - C - S - X - G: Handel and Bach

3) A - C - S - G - X - X - X : French model during L. XIV

4) X is an alternate variable dance movement: passepied, air, bourrée, galliard, pavane, etc.